Provenance (13 Apr. 2006)

A young couple is murdered in their home shortly after buying an antique painting of a family portrait circa 1910. Upon reviewing the painting's provenance, Sam and Dean learn that everyone... See full summary »

Director:

Philip Sgriccia

Writers:

Eric Kripke (creator), David Ehrman

Stars:

Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Taylor Cole

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Jared Padalecki	...	Sam Winchester
Jensen Ackles	...	Dean Winchester
Taylor Cole	...	Sarah Blake
Jay Brazeau	...	Librarian
Jodelle Ferland	...	Melanie Merchant (as Jodelle Micha Ferland)
Keith Martin Gordey	...	Daniel Blake
Linden Banks	...	Isaiah Merchant
Jody Thompson	...	Ann Telesca
Curtis Caravaggio	...	Mark Telesca
Kenton Reid	...	Waiter
Sarah Mutch
Barbara Frosch	...	Evelyn
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amy Esterle	...	Hot Girl

Storyline

A young couple is murdered in their home shortly after buying an antique painting of a family portrait circa 1910. Upon reviewing the painting's provenance, Sam and Dean learn that everyone who has ever bought the painting has been murdered and race to discover how the portrait is causing the deaths before it can claim its next victim.

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Plot Keywords:

brother brother relationship

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 2006 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kripke Enterprises, Warner Bros. Television, Wonderland Sound and Vision

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the cars featured at the auction house has the registration "The Krip". Eric Kripke is the creator of the show.

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Goofs

When Sam, Dean, and Sarah Blake examine the cursed painting after the second murder, Dean notices the razor has moved and says "Jared, check it out" - using actor Jared Padalecki's real name instead of his character's name.

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Quotes

Sam Winchester: What kind of house doesn't have salt? Low sodium freaks!

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Connections

References Saturday Night Fever (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Romantic Piece No. 1"
Written by Antonín Dvorák

User Reviews

Brothers Against Evil: Psychopathic Family Portrait

I know it's getting fairly monotonous to read in nearly every single review of each and every single "Supernatural" episode, but … THIS is one of best episodes of the entire first season! Actually, practically every new episode I see promptly becomes a new favorite. It honestly is a fantastic show and truly a remembrance for anyone who ever showed an interest in the genre of horror. "Provenance" is another good-old fashioned spooky and inventive tale of the supernatural, with a solid basic premise (that sounded really familiar but I couldn't place it) and a handful of genuinely unsettling sequences. Sam and Dean are lured to New York when they read a bizarre article about a couple being murdered inside their house with all the doors and windows locked. Turns out the couple just bought a creepy old painting of an Amish family at an auction and put it on their chimney. The brothers, with the help of the beautiful auction gallery owner's daughter who is Sam's first potential love interest in a long time, discover that – according to the old newspapers and folklore legends - the family's father brutally slaughtered his whole family in the year 1910. Presumably his malignant spirit is still trapped in the painting and continuing to slay. "Provenance" is an original, well-plotted, exciting and masterfully compelling installment in the series. The painting is particularly sinister and several more pieces scenery and locations, like the morgue and the old lady's house, are very "horrolicious". Meanwhile, the characters of Sam and Dean continue to develop further as well. In nearly each episode, there's a new reference towards their childhood and/or a little trivia fact regarding their personalities, reminding the fans that the show also still builds up towards a big season climax. The short but obviously sincere romance between Sam and the stunningly beautiful Sarah was a very enchanting change of tone in the series, and Dean … Well, Dean just gets wittier and cooler with each episode. "Provenance" offers a reasonably inspired and surprising twist near the end, as well as a few bloody moments and a very scary type of evil. It just bothers me that I can't seem to place where I've seen the Amish family murder plot in the 1910's before … I'm thinking either Wes Craven's "Deadly Blessing", the underrated Aussie chiller "Frenchman's Farm" or yet something entirely different